Combination bag holding bracket and drawstring threading means



June 21, 1966 v M. E. FRAZIER 3,257,090

COMBINATION BAG HOLDING BRACKET AND DRAWSTRING THREADING MEANS Filed July 6, 1964 INVENTOR M/chae/ E. Fraz/er ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,257,090 COMBINATION BAG HOLDING BRACKET AND DRAWSTRING THREADING MEANS Michael E. Frazier, Tabco, P.O. Box 142, Brightwood Station, Springfield, Mass. 01107 Filed July 6, 1964, Ser. No. 380,342 Claims. (Cl. 248-99) This invention relates to a foldable receptacle and has for an object to provide a foldable receptacle in the form of a bag which may be readily opened, held in open position, and readily closed.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide a foldablereceptacle of inexpensive material which may be used as a waste receptacle and is of such inexpensive yet strong material that it may be disposed of along with the waste contained therein, or, when used for containing other contents, may be repeatedly used.

Still a further object of this invention, is to provide a foldable readily openable and readily closable bag intended for final use as a disposable waste receptacle but capable of initial use for holding other contents, such as groceries, laundry or the like.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a foldable bag made of inexpensive but strong material and provided with readily operable open means and readily operable closure means.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a foldable receptacle or bag, parallelepiped in shape and having an open top and closed bottom, with a tube, open at each end, separate'from and-attached to two opposite sides of the receptacle or bag parallel to and adjacent their top edges, the tubes being arranged to receive two spaced apart parallel arms of a bracket support therethrough for supporting the bag in open position while being filled.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a drawstring to a bag having a pair of separate tubes on opposite sides adjacent its open top end, with a cooperating pair of parallel, spaced apart extending arms for receiving the tubes thereover to support the bag in contents filling position, by temporarily attaching the ends of a drawstring of suflicient length to the extending ends of the supporting arms, before the tubes are received thereover, extending the tubes over the arms to support the bag and thread the ends of the drawstring through the tubes, then detaching the drawstring ends from the arm ends and holding the detached drawstring ends while removing the tubes and bag from the supporting arms, whereupon the drawstring may be tied to hold the bag in closed position.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide preformed drawstrings of definite length for the foregoing purpose.

Still a further object is to provide drawstring temporary attaching means cooperating with the extending ends of a pair of parallel, spaced apart supporting arms cooperating with separate tubes attached to two of the outer upper sides of a bag, which drawstring temporary attaching means may be made in several forms.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide bag tube supporting arms with means for temporarily attaching the ends of a drawstring thereto and for simultaneously cutting the drawstring from a string of indefinite length.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a combination of a receptacle or bag with means for supporting the bag in open position in the form of two separate tubes attached to two opposite sides of the bag adjacent its open top and a bracket having parallel spaced apart arms for extending through the tubes to support the bag in open position for receiving contents therein.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide 3,251,090 Patented June 21, 1966 'ice Still a further object of this invention is to provide arm receiving and cooperating tubes on two opposite sides of conventional bags, eliminating special loops integrally formed on the bag wherein the cuts in the bag provide means for readily starting tears in the bag.

A further object of this invention is. to provide tubes for the bag at two opposite sides which may be made of either the same material or of different material from the bags, the tubes being of a size and strength appropriate to the end use of the product.

A further object of this invention is to provide bracket arm cooperating tubes whereby the tubes, although collapsible, tend to remain open and thus receivesupporting bracket arms much more readily than flat, integrally formed loops on the bag top edges.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the acocmpanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination foldable bag, supporting arm'bracket and drawstring in operative bag contents receiving position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bracket and arms with a preformed drawstring temporarily attached thereto. FIG. 3 is a sectional view on lines 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a detail perspective View of a preformed form of drawstring attaching end.

FIG. 5 shows the drawstring end of FIG. 4 in attached position.

FIG. 6 shows a bracket arm end for attaching a drawstring end thereto.

FIG. 7 shows a modified bracket arm end for attaching a drawstring end thereto, and for simultaneously cutting off a drawstring from a string of indefinite length.

FIG. 8 is a section on line 88 of FIG. 7.

There is shown at 10 the foldable receptacle of this invention and at 12 one form of bracket for supporting the receptacle 10 in open position.

The receptacle 10, as shown, is a foldable bag, is made of conventional strong but inexpensive and hence disposable material, the material preferably being water resistant and if desired, may be similar to that used in paper grocery bags or may be plastic coated paper, possibly with a double layer, or may be material such as conventionally used in bagging flour, cement, or other conventional materials, or even fabric, which may be readily folded, so long as the materials are sufficiently inexpensive, that they may be disposed of when used as a disposable rubbish or waste bag, to be disposed of along with the waste or rubbish contents thereof.

The bag 10 is somewhat similar to a regular paper grocery bag in shape except that the rectangular bottom is preferably square rather than merely rectangular, although it may well be rectangular without being square, if desired.

The bag 10 includes four vertical rectangular sides and a bottom, and has an open top with the top edges of the vertical sides being in substantially a common plane when the bag '10 is in open contents receiving position as shown in FIG.- I. One pair of two opposite vertical sides 14 and 16 are each provided with a midline crease 18, being inwardly creased downwardly to a point 20 where it becomes an outwardly creased line 22 extending to the bottom edge 24 where it meets an inwardly creased line (not shown) extending across the bottom (not shown) of the bag 10, there also being diagonally extending inwardly creased lines 25 and 28 from the crease point 20 to the bottom corners of the bag 10. This is one form of conventional foldable bag bottom, but any other conventional or suitable foldable bag bottom is satisfactory, providing the other pair of opposite rectangular sides 3t and 32 are left flat and unfolded, at least adjacent their top edges 34 and 36, which top edges 34 and 36, when the bag It) is in open position, are in the same plane with the top edges 38 and 40 of the fol-dable sides 14- and 16. As thus far described, the bag 14B is completely conventional, and has no cuts or integral loops extending from its top edges, and thus has no places to initiate tears in the bag, and thus eliminates paper loss resulting from cuts in the top edges.

The essence of this invention is in the tubes 42 which are attached by any suitable means, paste, glue or the like, to the outer surfaces of the pair of unfolded flat sides 30 and 32 adjacent to but slightly spaced from and parallel to their top edges 34 and 36. In addition, the tubes 42, which are open at both ends, may be slightly shorter than the width of their sides 30 and 32 as shown. The internal diameter of these two tubes 42 is sufiiciently greater than the external diameter of outwardly extending arms 44 and 46 of the bag supporting bracket 12 so that the tubes may be readily and rapidly received over the parallel, spaced apart bracket arms 44 and 46 for quickly and easily supporting the bag in the open contents receiving position shown in FIG. 1.

The tubes 42 may be of the same material as the bag 10, -or-may be of any other suitable material of suitable size and strength depending on the requirements of the end use of the product. The material of the tubes will be such that the tubes may slightly collapse, as when the bag is folded for storage or shipping purposes, to conserve space, yet will tend to be substantially self opening, thus facilitating placing the tubes 42 over the arms 44 and 46, it being noted that the arms 44 and 46 are long enough to extend through and beyond the extending ends of the tubes. The bracket 12 is secured as by screws 48 through appropriate flattened apertures 50 to a convenient support wall surface 52.

In operation, the bag 10 is taken from a supply of similar bags, unfolded, and then the tubes 42 are placed over the arms 44 and 46 to thus hold the bag in open position until the contents are placed therein. Then, when the bag is filled enough, it is removed from the arms 44 and 46, and closed by any suitable means, such as bringing the sides 34 and 32 together, with the other two sides folded together along the crease lines 18 as far as the contents permit, and then rolled or folded down to close the bag.

However, to insure the filled bag remaining in closed position, a preformed drawstring 54, or a drawstring 56 cut from a string of indefinite length, such as a ball of string, may be provided as a further essence of this invention.

The preformed drawstring 54, of a suitable length for closing and tying the filled bag 10, is provided at its ends with inexpensive preformed caps 58, preferably of a cheap but suitable plastic material, having a diameter that will frictionally hold onto the extending ends 60 of the arms 44 and 46. The caps 58 when placed on the tube ends 60 as shown in FIG. 1 provide a method of readily threading the drawstring 54 through both the tubes 42, for when the bag 10 is placed in position with the tubes passing over the caps 58 and arm ends 60 onto the arms 44 and 46, the drawstring 54 is automatically threaded through each of the tubes 42. Then, when the bag is filled and ready to be removed, the caps 58 are first removed from the tube ends 60 and brought together, the string 54 being long enough for this, and then held while the tubes 42 are removed from the arms. Then, the drawstring 54 is drawn tight, pulling the sides of the bag 10 together, and

the string is tied to keep the bag closed, the caps 58 either being ignored, or torn off the ends of the string as suitable.

Instead of providing preformed drawstrings 54 with caps 58, the ends of the arms 44 and 46 may be formed to cooperate with and even form a drawstring 55 from a string of indefinite length, as from a ball of string. In this case, the ends 62 of the bracket arms 64 may each be provided with a V-shaped slot having its walls 66 converging toward each other so that when the drawstring 56 is placed therethrough, the converging walls 66 will temporarily grip and hold the drawstring 56. A knot 68 may be tied in the end of the drawstring 56 to facilitate placing and holding it in the V formed by the walls 66. After placing the knotted end 68 on the arm end 62, the drawstring 56 will be measured, as by stretching along the arms 46 and 44 and base of the bracket 12, plus a little extra for providing slack, and then cut off and placed, with a knot, in the V of the other arm end.

In another form, the bracket arms 70 may be hollow, as shown in FIG, 7 and FIG. 8. A V 72 slot may be provided in opposite cylinder walls of one arm end 74 and in only one cylinder Wall of the other arm end, while the cylinder wall of the other arm 70 which confronts the first arm end may have a sharpened edge 74 provided, so that as the string is placed through the holding V 72, it will bear against and be cut off by the sharpened edge 74. Otherwise, the method of threading the drawstring through the tubes will be the same as set forth above. Obviously, the caps 58 of preformed drawstring 54 may be placed over the tube ends 62 and 7t) and work in the same way.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination a bracket for use with a foldabl-e bag of foldable material, the bag being open at the top end and closed at the bottom end, the bag being in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and a separate tube secured to each of two opposite sides of said bag, each tube being secured to its bag side adjacent the top edge thereof, substantially parallel to said top edge, and on the outer surface of its bag side, said bracket comprising a .pair of parallel extending arms securable to a vertical supporting surface, said arms being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the distance between the tubular interiors of the two tubes, the tubes being of greater interior diameter than the exterior diameters of said arms, said arms receiving thereover the tubes secured to the opposite surfaces of the bag to support the bag in open position, each tube being open at both its ends, each said arm being longer than the tube supported thereover and thus having each said arm extend beyond the adjacent end of each tube, a drawstring for tying the bag in closed position, and means on said arms for threading said drawstring through the tubes and about three sides of the bag, said means also detachably securing one end of said drawstring to the end of one arm and the other end of said drawstring to the end of the other arm prior to recelving the tubes thereover.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, said detachable drawstring securing means comprising a cap secured to each end of said drawstring, each said cap being frictionally securable to an arm end.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, said detachable drawstring securing means comprising converging walls provided at the extending end of each arm receiving and gripping the drawstring therebetween.

4. The combination defined in claim 3, and string cutting means on the extending end of one arm.

5. The combination defined inclaim 4, said arms being hollow, said converging string gripping converging walls being in the side of one hollow arm confronting the other arm, said string cutting means being a sharpened edge on the other side of said same one arm.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Erickson et a1. 248-100 X Nelson 248-97 Battin 248-99 X Mayhew 248-99 X Porkola 224-4246 Piazze 93-8 FOREIGN PATENTS 11/1960 Denmark. 8/1956 Sweden.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner. D. T. MOORHEAD, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION A BRACKET FOR USE WITH A FOLDABLE BAG OF FOLDABLE MATERIAL, THE BAG BEING OPEN AT THE TOP END AND CLOSED AT THE BOTTOM END, THE BAG BEING IN THE SHAPE OF A RECTANGULAR PARALLELEPIPED, AND A SEPARATE TUBE SECURED TO EACH OF TWO OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BAG, EACH TUBE BEING SECURED TO ITS BAG SIDE ADJACENT THE TOP EDGE THEREOF, SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID TOP EDGE, AND ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF ITS BAG SIDE, SAID BRACKET COMPRISING A PAIR OF PARALLEL EXTENDING ARMS SECURABLE TO A VERTICAL SUPPORTING SURFACE, SAID ARMS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TUBULAR INTERIORS OF THE TWO TUBES, THE TUBES BEING OF GREATER INTERIOR DIAMETER THAN THE EXTERIOR DIAMETERS OF SAID ARMS, SAID ARMS RECEIVING THEREOVER THE TUBES SECURED TO THE OPPOSITE SURFACES OF THE BAG TO SUPPORT THE BAG IN OPEN POSITION, EACH TUBE BEING OPEN AT BOTH ITS ENDS, EACH SAID ARM BEING LONGER THAN THE TUBE SUPPORTED THEREOVER AND THUS HAVING EACH SAID ARM EXTEND BEYOND THE ADJACENT END OF EACH TUBE, A DRAWSTRING FOR TYING THE BAG IN CLOSE POSITION, AND MEANS ON SAID ARMS FOR THREADING SAID DRAWSTRING THROUGH THE TUBES AND ABOUT THREE SIDES OF THE BAG, SAID MEANS ALSO DETACHABLY SECURING ONE END OF SAID DRAWSTRING TO THE END OF ONE ARM AND THE OTHER END OF SAID DRAWSTRING TO THE END OF THE OTHER ARM PRIOR TO RECEIVING THE TUBES THEREOVER. 